Archive for August, 2010

Just ends to tuck in. Tomorrow is drop-off day for the County Fair. I have these hose, the ruffle-edged child’s hat, the practice-chanter sleeve, the orange hat with Bavarian twisted-stitches, and the neck-warmer with stranded designs (made during Knitters’ Olympics) to enter. That makes 5, so I should get a one-day free pass to the Fair.

I’ve done all the (planned) increases on Robert’s forest green heather kilt hose. The end is in sight!

The light bit of yarn at the top of the righthand sock shows where I worked one more pair of increases on sock #1. Eventhough my ruler says 78 stitches is wide enough, and a slightly narrower 3-stitch knit-rib at center-back looks fine, I decided to try 80 stitches because it better fills out my ribbing pattern of (k5, seed3) around. After another inch or so, I’ll be able to get better measurements of the girth. I don’t have his legs available to try these on (he’s been to at least 2 countries since I saw him last), so I don’t know for sure how stretched — or not — these calves will be on him. I’m really looking forward to finishing these and posting them off to him in County Derry.

And I still haven’t finished a whole ball of Wool-Ease in either sock! Back when I was only able to purchase 4 balls of a single dye lot, I was concerned I wouldn’t have enough, but it looks now like 4 balls will be plenty — hurray!

The second pair of hose that’s oh-so-near to being done is the pair for myself that I’ve been working on for just over 2 years. I’m using Knit Picks “Bare” 100% undyed wool in DK weight, and had been knitting these 2-at-a-time on one very long circular until I got to the actual cuffs. Now I can say I’ve done that (the 2-socks-on-one-needle thing), but I found it cumbersome and don’t plan to do it again any time soon.

I hope to have these complete before August 31st, the day to take County Fair exhibits over to the Fairgrounds for judging and display.

The deadline to file entry forms for County Fair exhibits came this past Friday, so I looked back through my Finished Objects page and old blog posts to see what I’d completed since last September 1st (and still have in my possession!). If I enter at least 5 items, I get a pass for one free entry to the Fair. I found I had several items Very Close to Done, so I set Robert’s hose a bit to the side — still working on it regularly, but not solely — and picked up a few UFO’s. I may even knock out a dishcloth between now and Fair drop-off day. We shall see.

tucked in ends

finished ruffle and tucked in ends -- (intended for a smaller child)

one cuff done, one to go; plus ends to tuck

It feels good to finish long-pending things, while not running out of project(s) I’m truly interested in. I have finished all but the very last increase on sock #1 of Robert’s second pair, and sock #2 is over halfway through the increases. It won’t be long until I get to the cuffs on those! (Lord willing.)

That’s a lot to keep in my head, but I’m managing not to feel overwhelmed. . . at least, most of the time. 🙂

Forest Green Heather Wool-Ease for Robert Watt

Let’s see. . . . There’s Robert’s 2nd pair on the needles currently, . . . then his 3rd pair brewing in my imagination, which will probably be a recreation of Eric’s pair (knit by Elsie W, Stuart’s Scottish mum back home, who encourages me to “take over the knitting” as it “seems to be a dying art” over there), . . . then his 1st pair awaiting new cuffs or else frogging, . . . and in the midst somewhere we have repairs to Aaron’s argyle hose and some design work for him as well. Actions on these fronts this past week included lots of online and live shopping for appropriate yarns for Aaron’s hose idea and Robert’s 3rd pair, online correspondence with Elsie W in Scotland, and knitting on Robert’s Wool-Ease pair with the seed-stitch ribs.

I’ve progressed a few inches since this photo. Both socks are now between 4 and 5 inches past the completion of the heel (marked with little pins), and I’ve begun the calf-shaping section. I plan to increase more slowly in the lower portions, and more quickly in the upper sections of the leg. For guidelines, I’m looking to Lady Veronica Gainsord’s Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose and Knickerbocker Stockings (Schoolhouse Press, 1995), Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts’ Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy (Nomad Press, 2001), and Wendy Johnson’s Socks from the Toe Up (Potter Craft, 2009).

Outdoors, we are having LOTS of rain and pleasantly moderate temperatures.